Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me. . . . If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” (Genesis 13:8-9)
What do we naturally choose? When we were children, and you were down to the last 2 pieces of pie, we tried to see which one was bigger and choose that one even if they were both the same size!
We do that in life as well. Sacrifice and letting others have the better does not come naturally to us and it has to be a habit we consciously develop.
In the devotional from Oswald Chambers below, he takes it a step further, and speaks of not just letting others have the better part, but looking for ways to let God show Himself faithful and show us the choice that is better for us in the long run, even when the “long run” is eternal, meaning some choices won’t have earthly rewards. It may seem foolishness to those around you, but if we are men and woman of faith we put our trust in the unseen:
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
“…as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)
Lord, help me today to look for opportunities for you to show yourself faithful and direct my steps!
The Test of Self-Interest
BY OSWALD CHAMBERS
As soon as you begin to live the life of faith in God, rich and fascinating possibilities open up before you. These things are yours by right, but if you are living the life of faith, you will exercise your right to waive your rights. You will let God choose for you.
In Genesis 13, Abraham declines to choose a parcel of land, even though choosing would seem the wisest thing for him to do. Even though it is Abraham’s right to choose, even though people will consider him a fool for not choosing, Abraham lets God decide.
God sometimes allows you to be tested in a way that requires you to sacrifice your own well-being. At such times, it seems only right for you to think about yourself, to put your needs first. But if you are living a life of faith, you will joyfully set aside your right and allow God to direct your path. This is the discipline by which the natural is transformed into the spiritual, through obedience to the voice of God.
Whenever we allow rights and entitlements to guide us, we dull our spiritual insight. The great enemy of the life of faith in God isn’t sin; it’s the good which isn’t good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best.
Many of us fail to progress spiritually because we prefer to choose what seems right instead of relying on God to choose for us. We have to learn to walk according to the standard which keeps its eye on God:
“Walk before me” (Genesis 17:1).
Dead Man Walking 
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